Shoe clasp



Nov. 13, 1923.

T. RUSSELL SHOE CLASP Filed May 51. 192s' INVENTGR.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 13, i923.

rs` eres 'till iliill.

THEOIDORE RUSSELL, OF NAUGATCK, CONNECTICUT, SSIGNOR TO TEE JOHN M.

RUSSELL MANUFACTURNG COMPANY, OF NAUGATUCK, CONNECTICUT, A. COR- SHOECLASP.

Application tiled May 31,

To LZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THnoDoR-n Bussum., a citizen of the United States,residing at Naugatuek, county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, haveinvented a new and useful Shoe Clasp, of which the following is aspecification.

rlhis invention relates to a buckle or clasp, especially such as areused for shoes and aretics, and has for an object to provide an improvedclasp which may be manufactured at lower cost than those nowV generallyemployed, which will have a smoother` and easier operation, which willbe less liable to break, will lie flatter on the fabric of the shoe andso will not cause pressure of the fabric on the foot, and which will notbe as liable to cut the securing loops as will the old form.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, I have devised t'lieconstruction illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1is a front elevation of a portion of a shoe or arctic showing myimproved buckle or clasp attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is a transversev section thereof, showing'the clasp closed.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the clasp open.

Fig. 4 is abottom plan view of theclasp in open position.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view thereofpin closed position.

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan View in closed position, and

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section and front elevation of an improved formof ladder.

1n the drawing 10 represents a portion of a shoe 0r arctic closed at thefront by a iieXible tongue or bellows portion 11. To the opposite sidesof this portion of the shoe are secured one or more buckles in the usualmanner, as by threaded loops 12 stitched to the shoe.

- As is usual, this type of securing means comprises a ladder 13provided with a series of spaced rectangularV openings 14 for entranceof the tongue or lever 15. VThis ladder is preferablyV made of sheetinetal and curved to correspond with the contour of the shoe and has anopening 16 for the securing loop 12. In stamping this meinber threesides only of the opening 16 is 1923. Serial No. 642,521.

cut leaving the metal attached to the body at the outer edge, and thetongue 17 thus formed is then bent -baclwardly on the body giving adouble thickness and a round edge 18 on the side of the opening which isengaged by the loop 12. It will be apparent that this round edge will bemuch less lilrelv to out the loop than would the sharp edges which wouldbe left if the metal iilling the opening were entirely removed, as is'the ordinary construction.

Theothei portion of the clasp or securing means comprises a frame madeof wire and the tongue or lever 15 hinged thereto. In the specificconstruction shown this frame comprises a single piece of wire,preferably round, and bent substantially the shape illustrated. In thespecific form illustrated the wire is bent on opposite sides of amidseetion or bar 19 to provide spaced side members 20 extendinglaterally from the mid-section or connecting bar 19 in the samedirection, and are preferably substantially parallel. At a suitabledistance from the bar 19 they are bent inwardly toward each other toprovide reentrant portions 21, and then at a suitable distance from theside members are bent backwardly toward the bar 19 to provideintermediate members 22, preferably substantially parallel with the sidemembers, and at a short distance from the back bar 19 are bent uponthemselves, as shown at 22', and then extend forwardly again to formresilient tongue members 23 which terminate Vbeyond the re-entrantportions 21. This is the simplest form of frame, but in F ig. 6I haveshown a slightly dif= ferent construction in which the side mem- 20 areprovided with offsets or loops 24 a short distance from the back bar 19to prevent the loops 12 sliding around onto the side members, as itmight do in some cases in the first form if the loop should be made toolarge. Otherwise the frame shown in F ig. 6 is the same as that shown inFig. 4.

Hinged to the re-entrant portions 21 is the tongue or lever 15,preferably made of a piece of sheet metal, with a substantially flatback portion 25 and a front or tongue portion 26 which is adapted toextend through the openings 14 in the ladder 13 in closing the clasp.This tongue portion is secured to the baclr by a curved portion or loop27, and when stamping this member the back is provided with lugs 28 onthe opposite sides thereof Which are adapted to be bent around therc-entrant portions 21 of the frame to hinge the lever thereto, and informing this connection these lugs are folded outwardly so aste leavethe back of the lever substantially flat. Between these hinge lugs theback is provided with a projection or tongue 29 extending beyond theaxis of the hinge or pivot, as shown in Figs. l and 6, and is sopositioned that its free end may be engaged by the tongue-members 23,Vith which it coa-cts to hold the lever in open and closed positions.For the purpose of preventing the tongue members 23 sliding' ofi1 thisprojection, its free edge is preferably provided with notches 30 inwhich these members may rest. lt will thus be apparent that, as the freeedge of the tongue 29 projects beyond the axis of the pivot for 'thelever, When the lever is turned on its pivot to the open and closedpositions the free edge of the tongue 29 ivi l move through an arcA of acircle and press the tongue members 23 laterally, but the tongue will besubstantially parallel with these members with its free edge on oppositesides of the pivot When the lever is opened and closed, and the pressureof these resilient members thereon Will tend to hold the lever either inthe open or the closed position.

There are several distinct advantages of this construction of clasp overthe old iorm of sheet metal clasp. As the frame is made of Wire it maybe bent to shape on automatic machinery and there is no loss ofmaterial, and thus no scrap. Due to the peculiar shape of the frame thetongue members 23 have a length substantially equal to the length of theframe, and so they are much longer than the tongue of the sheet metalframe, and,

therefore, give much smoother Working and more easily operated leverthan is se.- cured with the sheet metal frame, and fur?V thermore, it isnot so liable to break under continued operation. There is also lessfric. tion and less liability of rapidly Wearing out. Furthermore, inthis construction the folded ears or lugs 28 may be formed on the leverwhich does not require to be tempered as does the frame of the old typeof construction made of sheet m-etal. As the formation of'these earsrequire a sharp bend in the material, thesheet instal frame must be madeof soft annealed metal as otherwise the lugs or ears would be broken offin bending, and then the frame must be tempered to give a resilientaction to the tongue. llVith the present construction these lugs areformed on the lever which does not require to be tempered. They may alsobe bent outwardly, as shown, so as to givea substantially fiat back 25with no projections pressingaganst the fabric of the shoe against thevfoot of the wearer and, therefore, are more comfortable. This flat back,also, as shown in Fig. 2, when the lever is closed lies flat against thesurface of the fabric, and so assists in holding the leverV in closedposition. Still further, as vthe pivot lugs or ears 28 are Wrappedaround the re-entrant portions 21 between the side members 2O andinterniediate members 22, they hold the frame together preventing itfrom spreading or opening sideivise thus malringa much more rigid frame.Furtheri-nore, as the frame is preferablymade of round Wire it is muchless likely to cut the loop l2 than are the sharp edges formed when theopening for this loop is stamped from a piece of sheet metal. The framemay be made either of resilient or spring Wire, or a soft Wire which canbe tempered after the frame has been bent to give the spring action forthe tongue members 23. This construction also eliminates one operationrequired 'a forming the tongue when itis used With a sheet metal frame.lln this old form of construction the body plate or frame is of highcarbon steel While the lever or tongue is Vof low carbon steel, and asthe Whole buckle after assembly has to be heated in tempering thebody,this anneals the tongue or lever at the same time, and itis, therefore,necessary to Vprovide a corrugation to reinforce and give the necessarystrength to the tongue or lever. This is not necessary with the presentform. In the present construction there is not as much danger of thetongue or lever break-ing or cracking as inthe old form, as Vno heatingand tempering Operation is required.

Having thus set yforth thenature of my invention, what l claim is: Y

l. In a clasp, a Wire frame having reA entrant sides bent; baclpv-ardlyand then upon themselves to form a resilient tongue, and a lever hingedto said frameV and pro` vided with a tongue coacting with the frame'tongue to hold the lever closedgaositien47 2. ln a clasp, viirefram il@'nga lengitudinally estending.resilu it te gue, and lever hinged toit e'i and provided With a projection` e: 4, beyond the hinge andterminating' in a free edge engagedv by said'tongue. Y Y

3. ln a clasp, a frame comprising a Wire with the sides on oppositeYsides of its midsection extending laterally in the same direction, thenextending inwardly toward each other for aVV short distance, thenlongitudinally tovvardthe Vmid-section and then bent vback uponthemselves to form a resilient tongue, and, lever hinged to the inwardlyextendingportions and provided with a. tongue coacting with tie tongueto hold the leverin diiierent positions. c Y

4. In a clasp, a Wire frame comprising spaced side members connected to2L transverse bar at one end adapted to engage a securing loop, saidside members extending inwardly toward each other at their oppositeends, then longitudinally of the frame toward seid bar and then inwardlytoward each other and baekwardly toward the other end of the frame toprovide a resilient tongue, and a lever pivoted to the frame at thelatter end and provided with a free edge at one side of the pivotal axisadapted to engage said tongue whereby the lever is held in closedposition.

5. In a clasp, a wire frame having reentriint sides bent baelrvva-rdl'yand then upon themselves to form a resilient tongue, and a leve-r hingedto said :trame and provided With a tongue having a reeedge coacting Withthe frame tongue to hold the lever in closed position, said free edgebeing provided with one or more notches to receive the Wires ot saidtongue to hold them in proper position.

6. In a clasp, a wire frame comprising spaced side members connected toa bar at one end adapted to engage e securing loop, said side membersbeing provided with inwardly extending offsets a short distance fromsaid bar to prevent the loop moving around onto the side members, saidside members extending inwardly toward each other at the other end ofthe frame and then bent to form a resilient tongue, end a lever pivotedto the frame on said inwardly extending portions and provided with afree edge at one side of its pivotal axis and adapted to eoaet with seidtongue to hold the lever in different positions.

7. In a clasp, aframe having transversely extending portions, and asecuring lever having a substantial Het beek portion and provided withears folded outwardly from the pla-ne ot said back portion over saidVtransversely extending portions to hinge the lever to the frame.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

THEODORE RUSSELL.

